You are hereSouther Fell, Mungrisdale
Souther Fell, Mungrisdale
A phantom army was witnessed on Souther Fell by a farm hand on Mid-Summers-Eve in the year 1735. The army took the form of mounted troops with infantry marching in a column. One year later on the same date the army was seen again by William Lancaster who was a local farmer.
In 1745, the year of the Jacobite uprising the army was witnessed again by over 26 people on the 23rd June. This time the army was sighted with carriages, and covered an area of about half a mile. It would not have been possible to bring carriages on Souther Fell and the story is a complete mystery.
An account of the haunting appeared in The Gentlemans' Magazine in 1747.
Directions: A footpath leads round the mountain from Mungrisdale.
There were 26 witnesses to the later event, who all swore their account to the local magistrate because of the concerns about Jacobites. As you say though, it's just not possible to take carriages over Souther Fell and people who went up to look the following day saw no sign of tracks or hoofprints.
It's so well-attested, and completely inexplicable.
Of course, mysterious processions in mountains always makes you think of faery procession stories. This is a very late one, though.
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